For Women, About Women, By Women

There are so many factors in the woods that affect the shot of a bowhunter. The skill goes way beyond just getting a deer to walk within thirty yards of the stand. Once the deer is there, the hunter must draw without being spotted, properly judge the distance of the deer, have perfect and practiced form, and have anchored at the correct spot, all of this before even releasing the arrow. With this many steps involved, there is a lot of room for error, and each of these can be affected by one small piece of equipment, the peep sight. The Yikes Bow Sight was invented to eliminate some of these steps, give the bow hunter less to worry about, and help him or her to make a good clean kill.

The Yikes Bow Sight is a back sight that takes the place of a peep sight. It is mounted to the riser of the bow and set a few inches from the sight pins themselves. It is set level with the pins so that it is aimed much like the sights on a rifle. This idea seems very simple to shoot and that's because it is. This design removes the negative affects of a peep sight and replaces them with a simpler, more precise way of aiming.

First drawing back on a deer and once you get the bow back with out being spotted you must find the deer in your peep sight. I can't count the number of times I have seen a deer walk near the stand in the evening or morning, and slowly and quietly draw back undetected, just to find that it was too dark to see the deer in my peep sight. What was a clear view of deer's vitals becomes a fuzzy mass of what you think is the vague shape of a deer. Not an ethical or safe shot. I have to let down, and sit and wait until the light conditions improve, knowing that even if the biggest buck I had ever seen walked by, I could do nothing about it. The Yikes Bow Sight eliminates this problem. Because it is positioned away from the eye the hunter can see the pin and the back sight as one. Removing the circle of the peep sight, the hunter can see the animal as crisp and clear as before drawing. You will never have to guess whether it is to dark to shoot again. So the advantage is having longer shooting hours and a clear, more ethical shot.

Another part of the shot affected by the peep sight is judging distance. A deer rarely walks exactly 20 or 30 yards from your stand, and even if it did, the hunter has to make a judgment of within a couple yards. Many hunters have opted to use range finders to do this, which adds another step into the whole process. Because a peep sight is set above the sight pins and the arrow, the aiming point actually crosses the path of the arrows flight, causing the hunter to have to be very accurate in judging distance. The Yikes Bow Sight is set even with the sight pins and the flight of the arrow. The aiming point is set to where the arrow needs to go. This causes distance to be less critical, and the arrow takes a flatter path to the target. The hunter may also find that his or her pins can be set closer together for the same reasons. The advantage is a more precise aiming system with less dependence on judging accuracy.

Form is a major factor when shooting a bow. When using a peep sight the archer must practice to teach himself or herself not to torque the bow. A peep sight allows the shooter to place the pin on the target while twisting the riser of the bow to the right or left. The shooter may not realize this until after the shot. When hunting, that is a bit too late. Torque is one of the main reasons for missing in the woods. The hunter gets excited and forgets his or her form. The Yikes Bow Sight makes torque almost impossible because of the way the sight is set like the back sight on a rifle. The shooter can easily tell if he or she is torquing the bow, and can fix it before the shot. If one was to torque, it would put the pin to the right or left of the notch, much like looking slightly to the side when aiming a rifle. The Yikes Sight also affects anchor point. The peep sight can change the shot if you are anchored wrong, in much the same way as torque. The sight will be too high or to low, just as it could be left or right. The can also be easily noticed on the Yikes sight. It would bring the sight pin above or below the notch. The advantage here is less thought about form; you just put the pin in the notch of the sight, aim, and shoot. Simple.

I have been shooting a Yikes Bow Sight for almost a year now and my shooting has improved drastically. This sight has just been amazing for me and I raised my 3D average 20 points. It builds confidence that is much needed on the 3D course and in the woods. The only down side of the sight that I have found is that is does take some getting used to, more so for the archer used to shooting a peep sight. It took some practice to make me instinctually put the pin in the notch, but now I don't even think about it, which is what you want in the woods, less to worry about. In short, I have found all of the claims of the sight to be true, it gives the bow hunter less to think about, and it will improve your hunting odds.

Mission Statement:The WomenHunters™ Organization is dedicated to the encouragement, education and promotion of women and youth in the hunting traditions. We strive to instill the importance of ethics, responsibility and sportsmanship in hunters. We will share our knowledge and experience while encouraging participation in the outdoors. Women hold the key to the future of hunting and WomenHunters™ will contribute to the positive growth of hunting for future generations.